WRX Spotlight: True Linkswear: redefining a great walk

When it comes to golf footwear, there are a lot of players in the game, but there is only one that is committed to making sure they put their absolute best foot forward with every product, and doing everything it can to make sure you “enjoy the walk.”

True Linkswear was founded only 10 years ago in 2009, and in that time the company could be credited (at least partially) for the popularity of what we have today as the modern spikeless golf shoe. Founded on the principles of creating the most comfortable walking shoe imaginable they did just that with the original True Tour. This shoe offered the thinnest sole in golf and took the golf industry by surprise. It took features from the emerging barefoot running trend at the time and along with it brought the wide natural toebox, zero-drop revolution to the golf masses.

So confident in their crossover ability, on October, 7 2012 , the same day Ryan Moore won the Shriners Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas wearing the True Sensei, one of True’s founders, Rob Rigg, was a lot further north up the West Coast wearing the same Sensei in the Portland Marathon. Not many shoes on the market can lay claim to winning a PGA Tour event and running a marathon in the same day.

Let’s fast forward to today, after some serious sole searching (pun completely intended) between 2014-2016, after some admitted less-than-first-rate products, the company went back to the drawing board and completely relaunched.

The goal was to get back to creating the most comfortable shoe with premium products and deliver them to the customer without compromise. True doesn’t just want to be your favorite golf shoes, they want to be your favorite shoes period. With that in mind, and drawing from their Pacific Northwest home — a part of the country known more for rain and the great out doors than bright sunny days, they have come out swinging with their most technology packed shoes designed to be comfortable right out of the box — or out of the bag… more on that later.

The first of these new designs was the “Original” a shoe that took all of the elements from the very first tour and put it into a modern stylized package with the most traction of any True to date, and gave it the on course, off course looks to take your from the range to the streets, to the hiking trails without having to make an extra trip to the trunk.

The next shoe from True was the Knit, and as the name suggests this knit design offers the breathability and comfort you would expect from a lightweight shoe, that also has the flexibility to fit almost any width foot. Not designed to be waterproof, they offer flex where you want it and strength where you need it. Offered in a number of colors, True have also made a commitment with one colorway to give back $30 for every pair to the MS foundation.

In talking to True President Jason Moore — yes, the brother to PGA Tour Player Ryan Moore, the company wanted to put a stake in the ground by offering an exact dollar amount, not a percentage of sale littered in a fine print. This is another example of doing something a little different.

This brings us to the True Major — a shoe built from the ground up with input from some of the best players in the world (the True Players Advisory Board) and tested to standards usually reserved for the worlds best outdoor shoes and hiking boots

80K Step Dynamic Waterproofing: When most shoes are tested by merely get placed in a water, Trues get tested in motion for 80,000 steps to ensure they can offer one of the best waterproof guarantees in the business

Flex zones to eliminate break in period, and keep shoes looking their best longer

Full wrap paracord lacing system that wraps entirely under the midsole of the shoe to secure the foot in place during peak lateral forces (the golf swing for example) while also maintaining comfort and flexibility for every step along the way

Outdoor Grade Nuback leather: (we looked it up, it’s a real thing) used on the most wear susceptible parts of the shoe including the toe to reduce wear and keep shoes looking great.

Last but not least, one of the coolest additions that you get with the new True Major has nothing to do with either comfort or style but has everything to do with offering something a little extra and help the environment along the way: a multi-purpose shoe bag that can hold your shoes, lunch, extra change of clothes, or be used as shag bag for those trips to the range. Designed with functionality and sustainability in mind, it’s another way True is doing things a little different and helping you enjoy the walk and your next practice session a little more.

Ryan Barath is a writer & the Digital Content Creation Lead for GolfWRX.
He is a club fitter and master club builder who has more than 16 years experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour professionals.
He studied business and marketing at the Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop in Hamilton and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers, including True Temper.
You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, from course architecture to physics, and share his passion for club building, and wedge grinding.

8 Comments

8 Comments

I was a big fan of Trues. I had the Sensei, Proto, and others. They had to change up the company because all the leather shoes I had leaked like crazy. Marie at customer service and I got to know each other too well with all the returns I had. I bought the True Outsider with help from a $50 rebate from one of my many returns. They leaked on my 3rd outing in morning dew. They sent me another pair. Leaked again. I’m wearing them at work right now because they are comfortable, but never again will I buy a pair.

I have the knits and love them. The idea of wearing them casually did not work, I slipped multiple times but they are great on the course when its not wet. I’d love to try the Majors but I cannot tell them width on them as someone with a wide forefoot.

I currently have six pairs of Trues. Love their shoes. The True Originals have a big toe box which is great for even those with the widest of feet. I would order a half size up for the Knits and Majors. I like the Knits for hot days. Just tried the Majors for 18 holes. Great shoes overall. Material is premium, the shoe bag is awesome, and they are comfy, but they are not good for people who overpronate like me. Can’t wait to see what other colorways they come out with next.

Wilson Staff has been making waves recently with a lot of high profile activity including the signing of Gary Woodland and the new Staff blade iron prototypes he has in the bag. It appears that the R&D team at Wilson has just gotten started for 2019, considering another new prototype driving iron has popped up thanks to Brendan Steele posting some very nice pictures on his Twitter and Instagram.

We don’t have a ton of information except for the caption from Brendan’s own post

“Check out this sweet new toy! @wilsongolf was awesome enough to let me create a new prototype driving iron and it couldn’t have turned out better!”

It has some similarities to the previous V4 Driving Iron from Wilson by the looks of both the screw and the knurling around the hosel

but the cosmetics and certainly more inline with the new Staff Blades pictured below along with also appearing to have a shorter heel to toe length and a higher overall toe profile:

Whether or not this new driving iron will show up at retail like the Staff blades, it is definitely something to keep an eye out for.

WRX Spotlight: Nikon Coolshot Pro Stabilized laser rangefinder

Pitch: From Nikon: “This state-of-the art golfing laser rangefinder packs the stability of the Coolshot 80’s vibration reduction into an even more streamlined body. The red Oled internal display’s automatic brightness adjustment makes viewing easy in any light, while Hyper Read measurement response time is a speedy 0.3 seconds (approximately) over a range of 7.5-1,090 m. Locked On technology quickly defines overlapping subjects so you’ll be sure of an accurate reading to the flagstick, plus ID Technology gives a guide distance for uphill and downhill courses.”

Our take on the Nikon Coolshot Pro Stabilized laser rangefinder

Nikon has packed the Coolshot Pro Stabilized full of innovative features with a hugely beneficial streamlined profile. But we’ll get around to that a little later, as at the core of this laser rangefinder is its Stabilized Technology.

Whether it’s the conditions, or an inability to keep your hand perfectly steady when shooting your target, the issue of vibration is usually the main problem when it comes to rangefinders. However, with Nikon’s Stabilized Technology, that vibration is reduced by approximately 80 percent. The steadiness of the rangefinder may need to be seen to be believed, but with the Coolshot Pro Stabilized, any issues golfers have with taking a steady shot of their target can expect them to vanish with this rangefinder. More accurate results and likely speedier rounds (yay), what’s not to love?

This lessening of the vibration works in conjunction with Locked On technology, and it’s a powerful combination that creates a premium rangefinder. The Locked On technology in the Coolshot Pro Stabilized allows golfers to home in on their target, without the fear of the rangefinder locking onto the wrong target in the background. A small green circle frames your desired target, making sure that it is giving you the correct distance for your shot, and it’s not only extremely accurate but quick too. The Hyper Read Tech allows users to find the distance they want according to the company in “0.3 seconds – regardless of distance.” A claim that is difficult to dispute.

Another great feature of the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is its ID Technology. This technology takes care of all the incline, slope etc. The rangefinder from Nikon accurately reads the yardage taking into account the downhill or uphill nature of the pin, while the product also lets other competitors know when the ID Technology is off. If you’re competing in an event, a green flashing light indicates that the ID Technology is turned off, making it clear that actual distance is what you’re measuring, and that you’re abiding by all the rules.

Now let’s get down to the size, which makes all of the features we’ve talked about even more impressive. As you can see from our in-hand photos, the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is tiny and weighs just 180g. The advantages of having a small rangefinder are obvious as it can be carried or kept in even the smallest pocket of your bag easily, and the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is also both waterproof and nitrogen-purged to make it fog-proof. The range finder also features six different brightness levels and comes with a sweet 5-year warranty.

At around $450 the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is high-end and not cheap. But with the impressive features and high performance, it’s a product which combined with Nikon’s 5-year warranty justifies that price-tag. If you’re looking for a top-shelf rangefinder, then the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is very unlikely to disappoint.

TXG: Ping G410 Plus driver review

Our initial review of the Ping G410 Plus driver! In this video we use a stock shaft and a 10.5-degree head to see what improvements have been made over last year’s G400. Stay tuned for future videos where we will properly fit and dial in this driver for the correct loft, settings and shaft to unlock its full potential!